Search and Impression: Rallis Weyr
by RugbyProp
Summary: Korwin is Searched from a Fishing Hold and brought to stand at Impression. Set shortly after Thread had returned.  I fail at summaries and story titles.  On Hold for a bit while I work out my Sherlock feels... sorry
1. Search

I've had this story stuck in my head for awhile. Please read and review. I'm rating it K+ right now... I think that is a rather safe rating but it will probably be increased later.  
>I do not own Dragonriders of Pern but the characters have come from me.<p>

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><p>Waves lapped against the shore as boats bumped against the docks. Men worked on the boats, pulling in the fish nets and line. A man with graying hair who worked at the nets stopped suddenly and peered up into the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand. The man caught sight of the dragons appearing from between in the reflection of the water. Two greens and a blue slowly circled down to the ground as the people of the Hold ran to meet them. There was only one reason for the dragons to come here, they were on Search! News had come earlier in the Turn that Rallis Weyr's senior Queen had clutched.<p>

The dragonriders dismounted and removed their helmets opening their riding jackets for even a few minutes in the heat of Byrne Hold would cause them to sweat. "Good morning," said the bluerider his eyes scanning the crowd that had formed, "As you might've guessed we've come on Search. I'm J'vid and these are K'leni and Y'tan." The bluerider cleared his throat before continuing, "Lohath and Reolath here," he gestured to the greens, "have a knack for choosing out candidates so if all the boys 12-18 turns could please step forward. Sorry girls there is no gold egg this time."

Boys pushed themselves forward eager to be chosen by one of the two greens. There was hardly a kid on Pern that did not dream of becoming a Dragonrider. Byrne Hold was rather small fishing hold so only 20 or so boys fell within the age limit. The bluerider stepped back and the two green dragons moved forward to inspect the boys closer. Reolath, the bigger and lighter of the greens, informed her rider of two possible candidates. The first was a blonde boy, his hair bleached by the sun. He stepped forward hesitantly followed by a tall knobby kneed boy. After choosing those two boys Reolath sat back, none of the other boys appeared to interest her. Lohath took longer to examine the boys. A 12-turn-old retreated from her as she appeared to sniff at him, scared that she might breathe fire on him. Finally Lohath stopped at a gangly red-headed youth in baggy clothing. The lad gave the bluerider a confused look, unsure if the dragon meant him.

Y'tan, Lohath's rider, spoke up, "She means you, lad. Come on."

J'vid nodded, his eyes unfocused, as his dragon, Weth, spoke to him. "Weth tells me these three are it," he turned to the remaining boys as disappointment began to show on their face. "Perhaps next Search some of you lads will join these three. I am sorry."

Holders herded the remaining boys away to get back to their tasks.

J'vid turned to the three boys before him, "I have told you our names," he gestured to his two companions and the three dragons, "but what are your names?"

The tall knobby kneed boy answered first as he ran a hand through his messy dirty blonde hair, "I'm Raydin, I'm 17. Thank you for choosing me!" Excitement caused his voice crack.

J'vid chuckled, "It's not us choosing one of you lads over the other, the dragons see something in you. Nice to meet you Raydin." J'vid looked at the bleach-blonde boy, "And your name?"

The boy's eyes widened and his chin quaked, trying to get the courage to speak to the bluerider. J'vid waited patiently, a kind smile on his face. Finally the boy squeaked out, "Tondan, I'm Tondan."

"And how old are you Tondan? You don't look quite 12-turns-old-" J'vid started before being interrupted by Tondan.

"But I am. I turned 12 just last month." The small lad stared up at J'vid, scared that he wouldn't believe him and thus wouldn't allow him to be a candidate. "Tell him Korwin! Tell him, you were at my birthing day party."

The red-headed youth nodded, "He is 12 turns old, sir. He isn't lying. I'm Korwin by the way. 15-turns-old in case you're wondering." He added with a sideways grin.

"Fine, fine, I was just wondering. The Candidate master would skin me if I brought him someone who was too young." J'vid rubbed his hands together, "Alright now lads, how about you head home grab anything you might need at the Weyr, say goodbye to your folks and meet back here as soon as possible."

The three boys nodded and dashed off to gather their things. Korwin raced home arrived at his home breathless. Taking a moment to catch him breath he called out, "Mother, mother, I've been Searched! The dragonriders have chosen me to stand at the Hatching!"

Maywin appeared at the door of Korwin's room, a bag in hand, she had already begun packing. "I heard dear, I've packed your Gather best and some spare clothing. Put these boots on."

"But mother, it's too hot for boots." Korwin, like many people at Byrne Hold, went shoeless because of the heat.

"It won't be too hot _Between, _you put them on now. This jacket too."

Korwin didn't complain about the jacket, he would want it _Between._ Maywin handed him the bag, "Thanks, mother. I've got to go I can't keep the dragonriders waiting."

Maywin caught him before he could escape out the door. She wrapped her arms around him and planted a kiss on his forehead, "You be careful, dear." She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back so she could look into his gray eyes. "Promise me don't do anything to get yourself into trouble."

"I promise," Korwin hugged his mother once more and hurried out the door back to where the dragonriders waited.

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><p><span>Characters<span>

Korwin- Will be the main character. 15 turn old redhead from Byrne Hold. Korwin and his father work on the fishing boats in his Hold. Mother is Maywin.  
>Tondan- Small 12 turn old, from Byrne Hold.<br>Raywin- Tall, excitable 17 turn old from Byrne Hold.  
>J'vid- rider of blue Weth.<br>K'leni- rider of green Reolath  
>Y'tan- rider of green Lohath.<p> 


	2. Arrival

Thanks for the reads and reviews. Sorry for the delay.

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><p>Korwin slung his bag over his soldier and jogged back to J'vid and the other two dragonriders. When they came in sight he smiled because he was the first one back. Some Holders had brought fruit juice to the dragonriders and they were examining their surroundings. There wasn't much to see in the Hold's square, most of the action in the Hold happened around the docks as they were a fishing hold.<p>

J'vid turned when he heard Korwin drop his bag to the ground, "Well, you didn't take long. I take it you're excited."

Korwin nodded, "Very excited, sir. Plus, my mom had my bag mostly packed when I got home."

"And I see you remembered to bring a jacket for _Between. _Good lad. Let's hope the others remember as well." J'vid patted Korwin on his shoulder. "Help yourself to a cup of juice as we wait for the other two."

Korwin grabbed a cup, he wasn't really thirsty but he didn't really know what else to do. He sipped nervously at the sweet juice waiting for the other two candidates to arrive. Korwin's eyes darted to J'vid wondering if the bluerider was becoming impatient but he seemed to be enjoy simply examining the hold.

Raydin and Tondan arrived within 15 minutes, each wearing a jacket, sweating in the heat. J'vid clapped his hands together as they arrived, "K'leni, Y'tan time to go."

Y'tan had been lounging in the shade of Lohath's wing. He covered a yawn with his hand. "I was just falling to sleep, J'vid." The greenrider looked at Tondan, "Couldn't you have taken a little longer?" When the lad gave him a worried look Y'tan ruffled the boy's blonde hair, "I'm only joking, lad."

"Y'tan you and Lohath take Tondan, K'leni you and Reolath take Raydin, and Korwin you're coming with me on Weth." The dragonriders tied the boys' bags to their riding straps and then helped the boys onto the dragons, little Tondan needing the most help. They then vaulted onto their dragons.

J'vid placed himself in front of Korwin. He pulled on his riding helmet and closed his jacket before turning to his passenger. "Hang on tight, the take off can be quite jerky."

Korwin could feel Weth's muscles tightening and he tried to prepare himself for the dragon's leap into the air. He was not expecting the speed and strength of the dragon's leap and nearly hit his head against J'vid's back. The lad wrapped his arms tighter around J'vid to help brace against any other sharp movements.

"We're about to go _Between _it's going to be cold and very dark but it will be over in just three breaths. Here we go." J'vid raised his hand in the air and brought it down to signal to the other riders. They were enveloped in a crushing cold black.

Korwin's heart beat faster as the moments passed _Between. _How many breaths had he taken? Was it three? Had something gone wrong? Just when Korwin was about to panic he was blinded by bright sunlight over Rallis Weyr. "We're here," J'vid told him cheerfully. The dragons lazily circled down to the Weyr bowl. Korwin was thankful the landing was much smoother than the take off.

J'vid helped Korwin down and untied the boy's bag from the riding straps. The three boys, Tondan, Raydin, and Korwin clutched their bags to their chests and looked around at the comings and goings of the people of the Weyr. K'leni placed a hand on Tondan's and Raydin's shoulders, "Welcome to Rallis Weyr! I'll show you where the Candidate's Barracks are." K'leni led the boys to the Barracks as he prattled on about where everything was in the Weyr. The greenrider sure was talkative.

Tondan somehow got the courage to interrupt the talkative greenrider, "How… how many eggs were clutched?"

K'leni was happy to tell, "Oh, Llyth, the gold, clutched 19 eggs. Not the biggest clutch ever recorded but still a decent sized one. The good news for you three is that they're due to hatch in the next one or two sevendays. You guys were in our last minute Search. Kinada, the Weyrwoman, and S'ban, the Weyrleader, want to give the eggs a big selection of candidates so that every dragonet will find their match. You three bring the candidate numbers up to 35."

It might mean the dragons had a good amount of candidates but that meant a fair number of candidates would not impress and that probably would include Korwin. He tried to remember the path that K'leni had taken them but he was sure he'd get lost several times before knowing exactly how to get to and from the barracks.

"Well, here's where I leave you, the Candidates' Barracks. Play nice with the other kiddies." K'leni left with a smile and a wave.

Korwin looked to Raydin and Tondan to see if either of the boys would enter the room first. When neither of them made a move Korwin sighed and pushed open the door to the sound of the other candidates chatting a roughhousing. There seemed to be an argument going on so little attention was paid to the arrival of the new candidates.

Kinada- Weyrwoman of Rallis Weyr, rider of Llyth.

S'ban- Current Weyrleader of Rallis Weyr. Weyrmate of Kinada. Rider of Zelth.

Next chapter should come sooner, I have it written already just need to edit. Check back next week.


	3. Lessons

Sorry for the delay. Job searching + emotional rollar coaster from HP and Deathly Hallows pt 2 + Sherlock oneshot idea happened.

I do not own Pern, but these characters are mine.

I'm heading to the beach Monday and then Philadelphia the next Monday so we'll see when the next chapter happens. Sorry but please enjoy this chapter

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><p>Korwin was the first to rise, stretching as he padded his way quietly to the washroom. After a quick wash in the warm waters and a brief cleaning of his teeth he made his way past the sleeping boys and out the door of the barracks. The Candidate Master would be coming soon to wake everyone else for chores but Korwin wanted breakfast first, plus this way he didn't have to fight the others for the washroom.<p>

He had arrived at the Weyr a little more than a sevenday ago at this point and had quickly learned his way around, for the most part. The first morning he had gotten completely lost on the way to the Lower Caverns. He wandered around for almost an hour until the smell of fresh bread drew him in the right direction. His misadventure had also caused him to be late to his first lesson; thankfully the Candidate Master was forgiving on that day.

Lost in thought Korwin jumped when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He whirled around to see who had tapped his shoulder. It was another candidate; Korwin recognized him but didn't remember his name.

The other boy looked nearly as surprised as Korwin, "Sorry," he said brushing curly hair from his eyes, "I didn't mean to scare you, I just noticed the other day you got up early to get some food. I can't wait until after chores for breakfast I was wondering if I could go with you but you got up earlier than I thought."

Korwin raised an eyebrow at the boy, looking him up and down. He recognized him because several of the other candidates had taken to picking on the shorter boy. He couldn't put a name to the face though, well not the boy's real name, just several foul names that the others had called him and that wouldn't do. "Sure you can come…er sorry I don't know your name."

"Oh, sorry, I'm Belior from Rallis Hold." He bit his lip, "And yeah, I know, I'm named after the moon. My mother couldn't think of a better name for me, apparently." He said it quickly as if he expected Korwin to comment on it.

Korwin shrugged, the origin of the boy's name didn't matter much to him, was this why some of the other lads picked on him? "I'm Korwin from Byrne Hold." He held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you," Belior smiled. "C'mon we should go so we can get back by the time ole M'hril comes to fetch us for chores."

Korwin nodded and set out for the Lower Caverns. After a light breakfast of klah, some fruit, and a roll they headed back arriving just as M'hril got to the Barracks.

M'hril looked surprised that two of his charges were already awake, he was used to Korwin being up but not Belior. "Well, that makes my job easier. Wait here, some of the boys are quite cranky in the morning wouldn't want you guys to be on the receiving end of this."

Quite awhile later the bleary-eyed candidates were lined up awaiting their chores. M'hril assigned the candidates to their chores that included tunnel snake hunting, kitchen duty, and the most hated, latrine duty. "When you finish up, get your breakfast. You'll have the rest of the morning off but after lunch meet back here, it's going to be a big day for you. The eggs have hardened enough that you will be allowed you lads on the sands to touch them."

The boy named after the moon ended up getting stuck with latrine duty while Korwin was assigned to the kitchen. The ladies of the Lower Caverns set their candidate helpers up to peel vegetables. Korwin finished his peeling first and looked around at the other boys. Tondan, the youngest, had the most left.

"You want some help with some of those?" Korwin asked motioning to the large pile of unpeeled vegetables.

"Yes, please." Tondan replied quietly. He cast a glance at the ladies before helping Korwin scoop several handfuls of the vegetables into Korwin's empty pot.

Korwin still finished before the younger boy but the ladies saw that he had finished and set him to cleaning some dishes while the other boys finished their peeling.

With the chores finished and lunch past Korwin and the candidates eagerly gathered in the courtyard outside the Candidate Barracks. M'hril arrived and cleared his throat to get the boys attention. "I take it you're excited to finally get to touch the eggs, as this is the first day we haven't had to hunt one of you boys down for afternoon lessons. Now listen up because this is important when you enter the Hatching Sands today and on the day of the Hatching you will bow to the Queen, show her respect.

This should go without saying but no running, roughhousing, fighting or anything of the sort on the Sands." M'hril gave a stern look at the boys who had been picking on Belior before continuing.

"We don't want anything to happen to the eggs. You may touch the eggs but be careful. I should also warn you that just because you touch the egg does not necessarily mean you will impress that dragon but it can't hurt. Everyone follow me."

The other boys fought elbowing each other to be in the front of the line while Korwin took up the spot at the end of the line. By the time Korwin made it onto the Sands. All the eggs had a candidate or two by its side. Korwin strolled past each egg; he watched as Tondan left the small egg he had been focusing on to a tan colored one off to the side. Korwin strolled over to the small egg, forgotten by most candidates. The shell was hard, smooth, and warm. Much warmer than he thought it would be. He knelt beside the egg and placed his hand on the egg, tracing lines in the marbled pattern of the shell. Korwin noticed a shadow over the small egg and turned to see Belior behind him.

"Aw Korwin, that one's probably going to be a green dragon the egg is so small."

A smile played at his lips as he thought _He's one to talk about size, _Korwin stood nearly a head taller than Belior_. _Korwin noted that the eggs with multiple candidates around them were the bigger ones

"There's nothing wrong with green dragons. There are more of them than the other one combined anyway." M'hril said, coming seemingly from nowhere. The Candidate Master turned away from the two boys to observe the other candidates.

Belior grabbed Korwin's arm, "C'mon you have to touch more than one. It will give you a better chance." As the pair made their way around the Sands Belior placed a hand on every egg he passed while Korwin was more selective. Korwin wondered how likely it was that a dragon would choose _him_; the Sands seemed crowded with all the boys here. A dark gray egg with green flecks caught Korwin's attention and he still knelt beside that egg when M'hril spoke again.

"Alright boys, time to go. We don't want to make Zelth cranky. Let's go up into the stands there's a few more things you boys need to know before the Hatching. M'hril lectured for about a half an hour ending with, "-when it is time for the Hatching the dragons will begin making a rumbling sound of sorts. You'll probably feel it before you hear it. When you do hear that, drop what you are doing and head back to the Barracks and put on your white Candidate's Robes and come here, as quickly as you can. Remember to bow to Zelth and then wait for the dragonets to hatch. They will come to you, remember to watch out for their claws, they aren't quite coordinated enough to know what to do with them when they are first hatched.

You will know when you impress, it's like nothing you've ever felt before. If you impress lead your dragon to the side of the Sands and we will give you a bowl of meat with which to feed your dragonet. Don't let them choke on the meat, the pieces will be small but if you feed them too quickly it could happen." M'hril paused trying to think if he forgot anything. Deciding that he hadn't, he stated, "Now that's it for lessons, you boys will still have your morning chores but the rest of your day will be free. Stay out of trouble. You are dismissed."

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><p>Long live the Oxford comma!<p>

Thanks for reading and reviewing :)


	4. Freetime

I do not own Dragonriders of Pern... if I did I wouldn't need to be doing the job searching that cause this chapter to be so delayed.

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><p>Korwin wandered about the Weyr at a lazy pace. He didn't need to be anywhere today and he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do with his free time. Belior had tried to convince him to come to the lake to swim with some of the other candidates. It wasn't until Tondan said he'd go with him that Belior left Korwin alone.<p>

Korwin found himself passing by the Hatching Sands. He wasn't dumb enough to try and enter them but he paused for a moment, grey eyes scanning the eggs. Zelth, the queen, opened one of her eyes and it settled upon Korwin. She watched him for a long while. The gold made a sort of snorting sound, which Korwin likened to what he thought a dragon laugh sounded like, and closed her eyes. What did she find amusing? If that's what that was.

The lad left the sands, casting a glance over his shoulder as he left. What did she know? He was so lost in thought that he nearly crashed into the Candidate Master, the older man steadied the candidate with a hand on Korwin's shoulder.

"Careful, lad." M'hril peered at Korwin, the lad was tall for his age. Korwin was almost eye level with the Candidate Master.

Korwin worried for a moment that M'hril might've thought he had gone on the Sands, "I didn't go on the Sands I promise, I just wanted a look," he said hurriedly.

M'hril smiled and pat the boy on the shoulder, "I know lad, you're one I don't have to worry about. Just watch where you're going next time." Korwin started to leave and M'hril stopped him again, "Make sure to wash your face before the Hatching and Hatching Feast, the dirt on your chin is not fooling anyone into thinking you've got whiskers."

Korwin nodded and headed towards the Lower Caverns rubbing his chin. It was between meals but they always had something to eat. Korwin helped himself to a bowl of soup and found a place to sit. He'd barely sat down to eat when Elea, one of the ladies who worked in the Lower Caverns, gave him a plate of fresh bread that had just come out of the oven.

"You need fattening up Korwin. You're drowning in your clothes," she told him. It was true; nearly everything Korwin owned was at least size too large. His mother told him he'd grow into them but he'd only gotten taller and the clothes hung looser on frame.

Korwin had just finished his bowl of soup, and was mopping the bowl with a slice of bread when everyone in the cavern quieted down. The walls rumbled as the dragons began their hum, signaling the start of the Hatching.

'Shards!' Korwin thought, jumping to his feet, knocking his dishes to the ground. The dragonriders in the cavern chuckled a bit. Korwin scrambled for the dishes, he collected them and handed them to Elea as he dashed out of the Lower Caverns and to the Barracks.

He arrived at the Barracks before anyone else; they had gone to the lake after all. Korwin saw this as an advantage even though it wasn't a first come first serve thing at Hatchings. He tugged off his shirt and roughly pulled on his white Candidate's Robe. A couple of other candidates burst through the door of the Barracks as Korwin ducked into the washroom to wash his face as he had been told.

When he went back into the main room of the Barracks more candidates had arrived, dressed, and dashed out. The group that had gone to the lake still hadn't come back. Should he wait for Belior and Tondan? He didn't want to miss any of the Hatching but they were his friends. Soon enough the lake group rushed into the Barracks.

Korwin was on his cot tapping his foot impatiently, when he heard Belior's voice, "What're you doing, Korwin? Go on we'll catch up."

With a nod Korwin dashed for the door, "Don't be late!" He called back over his shoulder and sprinted for the Hatching Sands. The lad arrived out of breath but he bowed to the Queen and took a spot in the semi-circle of boys to await the hatching. He nervously tugged at his Candidate's robe; it felt like he was wearing a dress, a rather odd experience. He felt slightly naked in it, and it didn't help his nervousness that the stands were packed with people.

Cracks were forming over a russet, violently shaking egg, as Belior and Tondan arrived, each tripping over their too-long robes. The pair bowed to the Queen and went to stand next to Korwin. 'Good lucks' were said between the trio as all eyes turned to the shaking russet colored egg. Shell fragments flew off as the dragonet fought to free itself. The Weyr waited on bated breath to see the color, if it was bronze that would be an excellent sign for the Hatching and Weyr.

More pieces fell away from the egg and finally, the first egg of the Hatching revealed its occupant and the Hatching had really begun.

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><p>Sorry for the delay *hides* I've been busy looking for a job, every time I sat down to write I'd feel guilty about not scouring various job search sites. Still no luck : I also had other story ideas that I was trying to scribble out quickly before I forgot them and trying to polish one up to publish soon. I have one that gives the backstory of Belior, that shouldn't take long, I have it mostly written in my head plus it's only one chapter.

Thanks for the read and reviews, I apologize if this isn't the chapter you were expecting. Next chapter should be up a bit faster since it'll be the Hatching :) Oh, and someone said they thought Korwin would get a brown/bronze… we shall see...


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